What Locked-In Syndrome Actually Means for a Family
Locked-in syndrome occurs when damage to the brainstem, most commonly from a stroke, leaves a person’s cognitive function completely intact while eliminating nearly all voluntary muscle control. They can think, feel, understand everything said around them, and experience emotions, but cannot speak, move their limbs, or breathe without assistance. In many cases, the only remaining voluntary movement is vertical eye movement or blinking, which becomes their only way to communicate.
Living with locked-in syndrome requires an extraordinary level of daily medical support. A person with LIS typically needs:
- Round-the-clock skilled nursing care
- Mechanical ventilation and respiratory monitoring
- A feeding tube with nutritional management
- Specialized communication technology
- Pressure injury prevention and wound care
- Physical and occupational therapy to address complications
- Ongoing neurological oversight
That care is not temporary; it continues for the rest of the person’s life.
The financial reality of that care in Wisconsin is significant.
| Type of Care | Estimated Cost in Wisconsin |
| Private duty nurse (hourly rate) | $90 per hour |
| Private duty nurse (visit rate) | $225 per visit |
| Long-term care facility, e.g., nursing home (semi-private room) | $10,646 per month/$127,750 per year |
| Long-term care facility, e.g., nursing home (private room) | $12,319 per month/$147,825 per year |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey
Our Process
We guide you through every step with clear communication and compassionate support.
Free Consultation
Call us anytime to discuss your case. We listen carefully and answer all your questions with no obligation.
Medical Review
Our team conducts a thorough investigation with qualified medical experts to determine if malpractice occurred.
Legal Action
If we find evidence of negligence, we build a strong case and handle all legal aspects on your behalf.
Secure Recovery
We fight to secure the financial resources your family needs for long-term care and peace of mind.
How Our Team Supports Wisconsin Families
Our team works closely with medical experts from the beginning. We listen carefully to what you tell us about what happened before and after the diagnosis. We dig into the records. We bring in the right specialists to evaluate both the medical circumstances and the long-term care needs. And we stay closely involved with families throughout the process. You’ll have direct access to the attorneys on your case, not a rotating staff of assistants.
How We Approach an Investigation
When a family comes to us, we start by hearing the full story of what happened from the people who were there.
From there, we obtain the complete medical record and work with physicians, neurologists, and nursing experts who evaluate the care against the standards that applied. We are thorough because complex neurological injury cases require it. And we are honest: if the review does not support a negligence claim, we will tell you that directly. Families have already been through enough without being led toward litigation that isn’t warranted.
Our experience with complex, high-value injury cases gives us the foundation to build cases that reflect what locked-in syndrome actually costs.
Affording Legal Help When Your Money Is Tied Up in Care Costs
Getting legal help from our firm does not add to the financial weight your family is already carrying. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing upfront and only pay for our time if we recover compensation for you.
Talk To Our Legal Team Today
We’re here to answer your questions and help you understand your options.
Schedule a Free Consultation
When the Outcome May Involve Negligence
Not every case of locked-in syndrome involves medical error. That’s something we believe families deserve to hear honestly. Brain injury is sometimes unavoidable, and a poor outcome doesn’t automatically mean someone failed in their care.
But there are circumstances where the evidence points in a different direction, where decisions made by medical providers may have contributed to or directly caused the condition a person now lives with. Scenarios that warrant careful legal and medical review include:
- Delayed diagnosis or treatment of stroke. Stroke has a narrow treatment window. When providers fail to recognize stroke symptoms, order appropriate imaging, initiate treatment promptly, or arrange an emergency transfer, the injury can escalate far beyond what it would have been.
- Failure to diagnose the stroke. Brainstem strokes are sometimes misattributed to vertigo, intoxication, or psychiatric symptoms, delaying the correct diagnosis in a situation when every minute matters.
- Failure to diagnose or notice locked-in syndrome. Locked-in syndrome itself is frequently misdiagnosed after the injury occurs. Patients may be labeled as comatose or in a vegetative state despite retaining full consciousness. Families are often the first to notice that their loved one is tracking with their eyes or blinking in response to conversation. Missing those signs has real consequences for how a patient is treated.
- Failure to transfer. When a patient presents to a facility without the capability to treat a major stroke, the decision about when (and how urgently) to transfer them matters enormously. The national guideline for transfer times is less than 120 minutes from the time a patient arrives at a hospital to the time they leave for the stroke center. Wisconsin’s time is 119 to 125 minutes for acute ischemic stroke eligible for endovascular therapy and 168 to 193 minutes for other acute ischemic stroke events.
- Premature discharge. Discharging a patient before stability is established or tests are ordered can cause preventable harm.
- Ignored signs or failure to monitor. When risk factors, warning signs, or deteriorating neurological status are documented but not acted upon, a provider may have fallen below the applicable standard of care.
A legal and medical review is the only way to know whether negligence played a role in your family’s situation. That review examines the timeline of events, the documentation, the standard of care that applied, and whether the outcome could have been different with appropriate treatment. We handle that review as part of our free initial consultation.
We Can Fight for Every Dollar Your Family Needs
The legal outcome in a locked-in syndrome case can determine what your loved one’s life looks like from now on.
Compensation in cases like these can cover the full scope of an LIS diagnosis and its effect on your loved one and family:
- Medical care
- Equipment
- Communication technology
- Lost income
- Lost earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- The profound loss of quality of life that accompanies this condition
Get the Support You Deserve
We understand that reaching out to a law firm is not easy when you’re already dealing with everything that comes with this diagnosis. Our goal in the initial conversation is simply to help you understand your options. There is no obligation and no pressure.
To schedule a free consultation with our team, contact us today.
What Our Clients Say
Real stories from families we've helped through difficult times.
5.0
Newsome Law are fantastic! They have been working on my case for the past 3+ years and I have not once had a bad experience with anyone who works there. They have worked tirelessly to help me through my accident and the medical bills that loomed overhead. I am extremely pleased and grateful to have them, fighting on my side during this period in my life.
5.0
Selecting a Law Firm in a time of tragedy , is one of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime. There are so many Firms out there that will chase you down , make unrealistic commitments and set unrealistic expectations. This is the last thing that is needed in such a painful and difficult time
Newsome Law Is a step above all the rest. They are not some run-of-the-mill Firm. But rather an experienced Team of established excellence and success. As one of Newsome Law’s grateful clients, they always operated in the best interest of my family. Were always available to take my call , and were compassionate to the pain and needs of my family. Newsome Law is the right Firm for you to choose.
5.0
5 Stars???!!!! These guys deserve the universe!!!!!!! They came through with every promise and were professional, diligent, smart, friendly, and understanding of the situation I was going through every step of the way. Very happy with the customer service so if that’s a thing for you, that’s another reason to go here. Honestly you will be making a mistake if you don’t go here. Rich is top tier in the US for attorneys and he definitely fought hard to get the job done here. If you want your money… GO HERE!!!!!!!
5.0
Newsome Law represented me in a very positive manner. Always professional, courteous, supportive and attentive. They were always able to keep me apprised of the status of my case. The team on my case were always easy to work with and on top of all issues. I never had to wonder where we were at in the process. I would recommend them to anyone needing this type of help in the future.
5.0
Just an amazing experience with the Newsome Law firm. Our case was very sensitive and close to our hearts. We were treated with the utmost respect for our situation and everything was handled in a professional and timely manner. We cannot say enough good things about the entire team!
5.0
I am so pleased to have worked with this firm. The attention to detail, time spent one on one, not feeling like I was just a number and someone truly caring about what was going on with me and my case was more than I could have ever hoped for. I will use this firm again if I ever need one and will recommend to everyone who asks to reach out to Newsome Law if they find they ever need someone to represent them. More than pleased and happy with everyone and everything from the office. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
5.0
I am so pleased to have worked with this firm. They went above and beyond for my sons case. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone. Always communicated with us, always answered all our questions and fought for my sons case to get the best. Newsome Law thank so much again for all you did. God Bless!
5.0
Partnered with this law firm under unfortunate circumstances and ended up being a great success. They understood the mission and intent, and collectively, conducted all of the behind the scenes work, resulting in a successful end result. If you want one of the best, here’s your opportunity and highly recommended.
5.0
When you’re in a hospital bed all jacked up from an accident and you google best personal injury attorneys, this is who you will find, and they are. Never had been in a lawsuit before and had never needed an attorney. They took such amazing care of me, and handled everything so professionally. A great team of paralegals and attorneys. Thank you so much guys.
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